The Twelve Steps of AA (4.5 Hrs) – Part 1 of 4 – 2017 – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

The Twelve Steps of AA (4.5 hrs) - 2017

A Bronx native with a penchant for 'looming' and 'crying' to get his way Scott R. dissects the machinery of the alcoholic mind. He pivots from the danger of becoming a 'circuit drinker' to a deep dive into the evolution of the Big Book specifically how a newcomer with three months of sobriety helped shape Chapter 5 to be less 'Higher Power-heavy' and more accessible. Scott R. contrasts the 'event' with the 'resentment,' using his own history with a cruel aunt and the trauma of being Jewish in a world of German accents to illustrate how self-pity becomes a spiritual tapeworm. He rejects the notion of AA as a self-help group calling it the antithesis of self-help and describes the terrifying 'dental surgery' logic of the alcoholic—where one jumps from the announcement of surgery to the painkillers skipping the blood and the agony of the middle.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Scott R. opens with his sobriety date (April 22, 1985) and mentions his home group.
• 4:15 Laughter: Scott R. discusses the excitement of general anesthesia and the '99' he spent his life chasing.
• 8:30 Discussion of the Washingtonians and the dangers of politics, money, and prestige in recovery groups.
• 13:45 The 'dental surgery' metaphor and the habit of skipping the 'middle' (the agony) of a situation.
• 18:20 Detailed breakdown of the original draft of Chapter 5 and how it differed from the final version.
• 24:10 Discussion of the 'promises' and the historical context of financial insecurity during the Great Depression.
• 31:00 Step 1 and 2: The 'crap magnet' theory and the reality of helping a newcomer with a tragic family history.
• 38:15 The 'loser book' story: a wealthy alcoholic buying an unopened first edition of the Big Book.
• 44:30 The 'event vs. resentment' distinction, referencing childhood abuse and the trauma of the Holocaust.
• 51:00 Analysis of the 'savage, uncivilized mindset' of the alcoholic and the 'tyranny of helplessness' (looming and crying).